Letting Go Of Brent And Other Christmas Miracles: Chapter 4

 

Just when you think life can't get much worse your world comes crashing down.

Marley

Why is it so hard to let go of things that are bad for us? Why is it so difficult to let go of the parts of our lives that make us feel terrible? Do humans hate themselves so much that we feel like we deserve it or do we just hate the idea of hurting other people?

Brent hasn’t been here in real life. Correction. He hasn’t been in my life any more than he’s been in Melanie’s or Ted’s or Cassandra’s. Even Andy’s. Andy is the member of our group that Brent’s always been the closest to. Much to Cassandra’s displeasure. It must be difficult when one of your best friends marries your archnemesis. If Brent has an archnemesis Cassandra is definitely it.

Confession: Cassandra is the best human friend I’ve got but the one who’s been there for me throughout most of my life, day in and day out is not human.

 The bestie of my soul, the one who always shows up for me no matter what, is my best guy. Lester.

  Renee

I woke to the sun peeking through the bedroom curtain. It was making its way up the length of the bed, which told me one thing, I forgot to set my alarm. I grabbed my phone off the nightstand, it was 6:45. I wasn't officially late. Not yet. 

I turned over to find myself practically nose to nose with Lester. He had that Samuel L. Jackson “I'm going to cut you” look about him. It inspired me to sit up, quickly.

“I know.” I said. “I'm late with breakfast, I'm sorry.” I went over my schedule for the day while feeding him. "I'm stopping by work this morning then I'm driving to Grenden for a brief meeting at the museum to finalize my start date, take a look around, get an idea of what I’ll be doing during the first week or two, that kind of thing. Then I have another appointment with Katherine Henderson, a lady at Grenden Realty to look at some rental properties.” I watch Lester while he eats, “If she can't find a comfy home for us I may have to take an efficiency apartment for now. If that happens I'll rent a storage unit. I'll just keep your things, a few clothes and books, some dishes, and the television. We'll keep things really simple at first.” Lester turned his head and glared at me. “Yes. I'll be late getting home.” He glared at me some more. “You're right, extra food is a good idea.” I respond putting more food in his dish.

The first hour or two went by quickly. The drive to Grenden seemed to take forever. It was mid afternoon by the time I arrived for my meeting with Katherine.

I was standing at a window watching the sunset in a very clean apartment with freshly painted dusty blue walls.

“What do you think?” Katherine asked.

“Everything you have shown me is nice. Very clean. Perfectly suitable.”

“But?”

“Do you have anything that feels more like home?”

A smile crosses Katherine's lips. “There might be one. Let me make a quick call.”

We were standing in a kitchen in the turret (a rounded tower) on the second floor of a Queen Anne style Victorian.  The home was situated on a corner near Grenden’s main thoroughfare. The kitchen is smaller than most kitchens. The room is clean and bright. The faucet works without any drama and the owner even found space to install a small dishwasher. Turning, I look beyond the narrow island to the smallish living room just beyond it. There’s a fireplace. The mantle looks like it’s original to the house. The chimney is still intact. An electric unit had been slid into the hearth’s opening. Most likely for safety reasons. Which was fine with me. To the left of the fireplace sits a small window seat situated in front of three long narrow windows. Walking over to the windows I take in the view, the street below is brightly lit with holiday decorations. Residents, both full-time and seasonal are out. I watch as they go in and out of shops, restaurants and other gathering places. It still feels private, I can’t hear much more than the occasional honk from a passing car. 

Things are close enough that I would only need to take a short walk to be among people, when I was ready for time to myself home would never be far away. The window seat was the perfect spot for Lester to nap and people watch.

“I'll take it.” I said.

“I had a feeling this was more of what you were looking for.” Katherine said. “Perhaps we should take a look at the bedroom and the bathroom first before you make a decision?”

I had spoken too soon, I felt the heat rising to my cheeks. As my embarrassment dissipated I tried picking up where Katherine left off. “There's only one bedroom?” I asked.

“Yes. There were two bedrooms originally. The owners took down the wall to make one large bedroom. The bathroom has been extended and there's a small alcove overlooking the backyard that would make a wonderful home office.” She said as we walked into the next room.

I was so excited about the apartment I don't remember much about the drive home. My phone rang just as I was parking the car.

“Hello? Renee? It's Katherine Henderson at Grenden Realty. I spoke with the owners and they are standing firm on the no pets policy.”

“Even with a deposit?” I asked.

“Unfortunately the answer is still “no.”

“What if I put an entire month’s rent up as a pet deposit?”

“I don't think they'll agree to that.” Katherine said. “You told me when you first called you were willing to take something temporary for the first few months. Would it be possible for you to find a place for your cat just until we’re able to find you something else?” She asked.

“Lester's an old man. We’re really close and I'm the only person he's really tolerated since Gran died.”

“Let's see.” I could hear something that sounded like a pen hitting the edge of a tablet. Katherine was thinking. “You said you needed to be moved in before the new year. Let's keep looking now that I know what your tastes are. I'm sure we can find something. I'll try reaching out to the owners one more time in a day or two, the wife seemed okay with Lester being there. It seems like it's just the husband who isn't too keen on it.”

I found myself nodding even though Katherine couldn’t see me nodding through the phone. “Tell them I can get references and I can also connect them with my Realtor here and send them pictures of the inside of my house. Lester's never done a bit of damage here.”

“I will.” She said. “If the answer’s still “no” don't worry. I'll find a great place for both you and Lester.”

We made plans to reconnect in a couple of days. Katherine said she'd call me if she ran into anything before then.

“Lester, I'm home.” I called out, putting down my things and taking off my coat. “I found a great place but the owners don't want pets there.” I said as I walked through the house. “It's their loss. You are the greatest cat ever.”

I walked past the couch and noticed there was no Lester. He wasn't in his bed either. I went into the kitchen to feed him thinking he’d come out the minute he heard food hit the inside of his dish. His bowl still had food in it. “Lester?” I called out. “Lester!” I ran through the house turning on lights and looking under furniture.

I found him in the laundry room in the back corner of the closet, he wasn't moving. Fighting to see through my tears I grabbed a towel to keep him warm. Wrapping Lester up tightly against the chill I took my best guy to the vet while I prayed for a miracle.